Beginner Java Programmer - Need Direction

I'm new to the DaniWeb community & it looks like a great place to learn from others. As a programmer with very little experience, other than textbooks & class, I'm looking for help in learning to code real world problems effectively. I'm currently reading: "Teach Yourself Java 6 in 21 Days", currently learning about Exceptions, Assertions, & Threads (ch.7). The book is ok for learning the basics, but some of the intermediate stuff seems a little vague to me, as if some of the details were left out of the given explanations. I guess the one thing that really matters the most to me at this point is being able to reach out to programmers who can, in essence, give me homework. I'm willing to put in the time if anyone is willing to give me examples to code. I'm studying independently, so any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm looking for basic, but challenging examples, that will get me to an intermediate level & beyond. I know everyone's time is valuable, so if you can at least point me to resources on where to find really good, real world examples, it would be greatly appreciated. Pls. help!!! Thanks in advance for everyone's time & help.